heterogeneous
English
WOTD – 26 January 2012
Etymology
From Medieval Latin heterogeneus, from Ancient Greek ἑτερογενής (heterogenḗs, “of different kinds”), from ἕτερος (héteros, “other, another, different”) + γένος (génos, “kind”). Compare hetero- and -ous.
Pronunciation
Adjective
heterogeneous (comparative more heterogeneous, superlative most heterogeneous)
- Diverse in kind or nature; composed of diverse parts.
- He had a large and heterogeneous collection of books.
- 1931, H. P. Lovecraft, chapter 6, in The Whisperer in Darkness:
- With a vague curiosity I began to trace the outline of some of the heterogeneous impressions, trying meanwhile to curb the flights of macabre fancy which the place and its memories suggested.
- (mathematics) Incommensurable because of different kinds.
- (physics, chemistry) Having more than one phase (solid, liquid, gas) present in a system or process.
- (chemistry) Visibly consisting of different components.
- (computing) Of a network comprising different types of computers, potentially with vastly differing memory sizes, processing power and even basic underlying architecture; alternatively, of a data resource with multiple types of formats.
Synonyms
- (composed of diverse parts, or coming from diverse sources): heterologous, diverse, manifold; See also Thesaurus:heterogeneous
Antonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
diverse in kind
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mathematics: incommensurable
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physics: having more than one phase
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chemistry: visibly consisting of different components
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computing: comprising different types of computers or formats
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Further reading
- “heterogeneous”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “heterogeneous”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “heterogeneous”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
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